Splitting up a picture of California is easy, splitting up an actual state is likely to prove much more difficult.

Splitting up a picture of California is easy, splitting up an actual state is likely to prove much more difficult.

Photo: Todd Trumbull, SFC

Splitting up a picture of California is easy, splitting up an... Photo-6603220.89787 - SFGate

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Some things are made to be split, like pizzas. There is even have a special rolly-knife specifically made for the task. No such tool exists to divide up the nearly 160,000 square miles of California.

Some things are made to be split, like pizzas. There is even have a special rolly-knife specifically made for the task. No such tool exists to divide up the nearly 160,000 square miles of California.

Photo: John Storey, Special To The Chronicle

Some things are made to be split, like pizzas. There is even have a... Photo-6603221.89787 - SFGate

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A six-pack of beer is easy to divvy up. Simply invite over five friends, add a bottle opener and let the good times roll. With a state of more 38 million people, the process of doling out resources among six competing interests is not likely to be so simple. less

A six-pack of beer is easy to divvy up. Simply invite over five friends, add a bottle opener and let the good times roll. With a state of more 38 million people, the process of doling out resources among six ... more

Photo: Joe Raedle, Getty Images

A six-pack of beer is easy to divvy up. Simply invite over five... Photo-6603222.89787 - SFGate

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At the end of a fancy meal, splitting up the check can be complicated, especially if one person only had a salad, while everyone else had steak. If the "Six Californias" plan were approved, the state of Silicon Valley would be the richest in the entire U.S., based on per-capita income, while Central California would be the poorest, according to a January study by the state legislative analyst's office. less

At the end of a fancy meal, splitting up the check can be complicated, especially if one person only had a salad, while everyone else had steak. If the "Six Californias" plan were approved, the state of Silicon ... more

Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle

At the end of a fancy meal, splitting up the check can be... Photo-6603223.89787 - SFGate

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Taboola Gallery Frame Item-85307.89787 - SFGate

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The Hobbit was only one book, yet somehow director Peter Jackson found a way to split the Lord of the Rings prequel into three movies, each of the first two being nearly three hours long. That's no easy feat, but still easier — and probably more lucrative — than trying to split up a state like California where resources and infrastructure are so disparately scattered geographically. less

The Hobbit was only one book, yet somehow director Peter Jackson found a way to split the Lord of the Rings prequel into three movies, each of the first two being nearly three hours long. That's no easy feat, ... more

If you cut an earthworm in half in the right way — which you shouldn't because it's cruel — the invertebrate is capable of regenerating into two healthy organisms. That's probably not possible for a state as large, complex and diverse as California. less

If you cut an earthworm in half in the right way — which you shouldn't because it's cruel — the invertebrate is capable of regenerating into two healthy organisms. That's probably not possible for a state ... more

Photo: Thais Winsome, ONLINE_YES

If you cut an earthworm in half in the right way — which you... Photo-6603225.89787 - SFGate

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Litters of puppies are split up all the time. There may be some mewling when one of the group is separated from its siblings, but most pups will quickly assimilate to their new surroundings. That likely wouldn't be true in the case of "Six Californias," where some states would hold the vast majority of resources — like precious and scarce drinking water — and others would be left out to dry. less

Litters of puppies are split up all the time. There may be some mewling when one of the group is separated from its siblings, but most pups will quickly assimilate to their new surroundings. That likely ... more

Photo: Yfat Yossifor, Associated Press

Litters of puppies are split up all the time. There may be some... Photo-6603226.89787 - SFGate

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Multimillionaire Tim Draper spent roughly $1.3 million to get the signatures needed to get the "Six Californias" measure on the ballot. There are an infinite number of ways that money could be split up, among them: a month's worth of groceries for more than 6,000 families, yearly tuition for 237 undergraduate California State University students or more than 185,000 burritos. less

Multimillionaire Tim Draper spent roughly $1.3 million to get the signatures needed to get the "Six Californias" measure on the ballot. There are an infinite number of ways that money could be split up, among ... more

If you, for some reason, wanted to split up an anvil, you would need a metal-cutting blade, lots of safety equipment and a great deal of patience. Still, that task would likely be easier than chopping up a state with the eighth largest economy in the world. less

If you, for some reason, wanted to split up an anvil, you would need a metal-cutting blade, lots of safety equipment and a great deal of patience. Still, that task would likely be easier than chopping up a ... more

Photo: PAUL CHINN, SFC

If you, for some reason, wanted to split up an anvil, you would... Photo-6603228.89787 - SFGate